Plug contactor



T. BAYGAN PLUG CONTACTOR July 25, 1967 Filed Sept. 16, 1964 TNVENTOR 22mB M United States Patent 3,333,235 PLUG CONTACTOR Teoman Baygan,Istanbul, Turkey, assignor to Virginia Panel Corporation, Waynesboro,Va., a corporation of Virginia Filed Sept. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 396,846 3Claims. (Cl. 339-217) This invention relates to plug contactors of thetype used, for example, in plugboards for automatic computers,tabulators, accounting machines and the like, for completing selectedelectric circuits to control the operation of the machine as desired.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide an improvedplug contactor which is basically of the manual type, or one whichcannot be accidentally withdrawn from the plugboard by push pressure onthe nose of the plug, but can be easily withdrawn by manually, or with asuitable tool, depressing the spring element, or spring elements, a thecase may be, which engage the plug contactor within the plugboard, whileindependently pushing on the plug.

It is another, and principal, object of this invention to provide a plugcontactor of the type generally described hereinabove, which is formedfrom a single piece of metal, so that the plug contactor may he morequickly, and more economically, assembled and, further can, by virtue ofits unitary construction, be depended upon to avoid the malfunctionswhich so frequently occur a a result of the improper fitting of therespective elements of plug contactors which are made up from aplurality of discrete elements.

Thus, it may be said that it is an object of this invention to provide aplug contactor which is simple and economical in construction, and whichmay be easily assembled, but which ha a ruggedness and dependabilitywhich would serve to insure a long and useful life.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent when thedescription is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a plug embodying the featuresof the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the plug of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section taken through line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken through lines 44 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a section taken along lines 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that a plug contactor isformed of a unitary piece of metal. Among its important features is asleeve, generally indicated at 2, which includes a support portion 4 anda contact portion 6, the former being of substantially greater diameterthan the latter, with the two portions being joined to one another by atapered transition portion 8.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, the portion 6, which is cylindrical, isadapted to be slidably received in one of the openings ltl in aplugboard 12.

The sleeve also has a base portion 14, which is of a slightly greaterdiameter than the central upport portion 4 and is also of a slightlygreater diameter than that of the opening 10. The base and supportportions are in axial alignment. Accordingly, it will be seen that theshoulder 15 of the base portion 14 acts as a stop which limits theextent to which the plug contactor may be inserted within the plugboard.The rearmost portions of the base portion are crimped about strands ofwire lead 16.

As will be understood, the wire 16 is insulated, as at 18, up to thepoint of its entry into the lumen of the 3,333,235 Patented July 25,1967 ice base portion 14, and the entire base portion, together with theportions of the insulated wire immediately adjacent to the end of thebase portion, may be further insulated by an insulating shroud or jacket20 of plastic or the like.

As best shown in FIGURES 25, the plug contactor i provided with lockingtips 22 which extend through an aperture 24 in the central supportportion 4 at a location which is aligned with the rearwardly facing faceof the plugboard 12 when the contactor as a whole has been driven hometo a position wherein the shoulder 15 of the base portion 14 is abuttingfast against the forwardly facing face of the plugboard.

In view of the location of the aperture 10 and the tips 22 protrudingtherethrough, it will be seen that the tips, acting in conjunction withthe shoulder 15 of the base member 14, will serve to hold the plugcontactor fast in its correct position within the opening 10 inplugboard 12. As is also well illustrated in FIGURES 2-5, the lockingtips 22 are at the extreme end of the locking arms 26 which are disposedwithin the support portion 4 and extend to a point within the baseportion 14, at which point they join with the latter.

In view of the relatively great ratio between the length of the lockingarms 26 and both their width and depth, it will be seen that the lockingarms are not only cantilevered from the base portion but, further are socantilevered as to define resiliently disposed members which serve tourge the tips 22 into position wherein they extend through aperture 24to achieve the locking relationship with the rearwardly facing face ofthe plugboard 12.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGURES 2-5, the locking arms 26are both actually formed of a single piece of metal, each being theextreme end of the blank which is rolled to form the unitary plugcontactor.

As will now be readily understood by those skilled in the art, since theplug contactor described hereinabove is formed from a unitary piece ofmetal, there is no possibility of malfunction due to misalignment ofdiscrete parts, or from a failure of discrete parts to properly fit onewith the other. Moreover, it will be similarly understood that sincethere are no moving parts in the ordinary sense of the word, that is tosay parts which move as a a whole relative to one another, as oppo ed toresilient movement of one portion of one part to another portion of thesame part, there is no opportunity for wear or malfunctions that resulttherefrom.

It should be understood that while I have heretofore described aconfiguration of the plug contactor wherein there are two locking arms,and hence two locking tips which act together, in the manner of a singlelocking arm and tip, it is within the contemplation of this invention toactually employ but a single locking arm 26, cantilevered as discussedhereinabove, and hence to have but a single locking tip extendingthrough the aperture 24.

It should be further understood by those skilled in the art that while Ihave illustrated and described the locking arms as being cantileveredfrom the base portion, in instances wherein the contact portion had asufiicient length, i.e., in instances where the plug contactor isadapted for use with boards having a thicknes which is substantiallygreater than that portrayed in the present drawing, the locking arm, orarms, could be cantilevered from a portion of the contact portionitself.

In view of the above discussions it will be quickly appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that the aforementioned and other desirable objectshave been achieved; however it should be emphasized that the particularemhodiments of the invention, which are shown and described herein, areintended as being merely illustrative, and not as restrictive of theinvention.

1 claim:

1. A unitary plug contactor constructed from a single piece of metalcomprising a sleeve formed by rolling said metal piece into tubularform, said sleeve having a support portion, a contact portion of smallerdiameter than the support portion, a tapered transition portion joiningthe contact portion to said support portion, and a base portionconnected in axial alignment with said support portion; an aperture insaid plug contactor; a locking tip extending through said aperture; anda cantilevered locking arm disposed within said support portion, saidlocking tip being integrally formed on said arm at the free end thereof;said locking arm and tip being formed from an extreme end of said metalpiece and having a rectangular cross sectional configuration,

cantilevered from said plug contactor to define a resiliently disposedmember urging said tip through the aperture. 7

2. A unitary plug contactor as set forth in claim 1, wherein saidaperture is located in the base portion of the sleeve.

3. A unitary plug contactor as set forth" in claim 1, wherein saidcontactor includes a plurality of locking arms and integral lockingtips.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Shlesinger 339217 MARVIN A.CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Examiner.

1. A UNITARY PLUG CONTACTOR CONSTRUCTED FROM A SINGLE PIECE OF METALCOMPRISING A SLEEVE FORMED BY ROLLING SAID METAL PIECE INTO TUBULARFORM, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A SUPPORT PORTION, A CONTACT PORTION OF SMALLERDIAMETER THAN THE SUPPORT PORTION, A TAPERED TRANSITION PORTION JOININGTHE CONTACT PORTION TO SAID SUPPORT PORTION, AND A BASE PORTIONCONNECTED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SUPPORT PORTION; AN APERTURE INSAID PLUG CONTACTOR; A LOCKING TIP EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE; ANDA CANTILEVERED LOCKING ARM DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SUPPORT PORTION, SAIDLOCKING TIP BEING INTEGRALLY FORMED ON SAID ARM AT THE FREE ENDTHREREOF; SAID LOCKING ARM AND TIP BEING FORMED FROM AN EXTREME END OFSAID METAL PIECE AND HAVING A RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION,THE LONGER DIMENSION OF WHICH EXTENDS RADIALLY INWARDLY OF SAID SLEEVE,THE LOCKING ARM BEING INTEGRAL WITH AND CONTILEVERED FROM SAID PLUGCONTACTOR TO DEFINE A RESILIENTLY DISPOSED MEMBER URGING SAID TIPTHROUGH THE APERTURE.